Was dead set against using templates until a project manager forced me to try one last month

I used to think templates were for people who couldn't come up with their own layouts, you know? But then we had this client in Portland who wanted a 9 page brochure in 4 days (not kidding). The PM handed me a generic InDesign template and I was pretty grumpy about it. After 2 hours of swapping colors and fonts and messing with the grid, it actually looked solid. The client loved it. I'm still not a full convert or anything, but I get the appeal now. Has anyone else had a template save their butt on a tight deadline?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery7215d ago

Haha yeah I read somewhere that templates are basically just "cheat codes for deadlines" and that's kinda stuck with me. That Portland job sounds brutal though, 9 pages in 4 days is wild. I had a similar thing happen with a quick-turnaround menu for a diner chain, used a template from an old restaurant project and just swapped the food photos and prices. Felt a little like cheating but hey, the client paid and didn't complain.

luna_wells575d ago

Is it really cheating if nobody notices though?